The Soul Guidance Train sped smoothly across the land, the scenery outside its windows blurring into unbroken streams of light that raced backward.
Inside the carriage, the soul guidance engine hummed softly like a natural lullaby. Many passengers had already fallen asleep against their seatbacks. The whole carriage felt peaceful and comfortable, with no sign of danger at all.
Xiao Chen sat upright with his eyes closed, seemingly resting at ease. In truth, his mind remained taut, firmly tracking every movement inside and outside the carriage.
That faint, elusive killing intent continued to shroud his heart, leaving him afraid to relax even a little.
Because his wither martial soul manifested as the power of destruction on the Douluo Continent, he was extremely sensitive to bloodthirsty and evil auras.
Beside him, Na'er had initially been brimming with excitement, constantly picturing how she would crush Gu Yue after reaching Eastsea City and secure her rightful status as the Silver Dragon King.
But as the train sped steadily onward, the excitement in the girl's heart gradually gave way to fatigue.
Within moments, drowsiness swept through her whole body. Her eyelids began to fight each other, and her head swayed gently without her realizing it.
Her formerly upright body tilted little by little until she finally leaned softly toward Xiao Chen, settling her soft little head securely on his shoulder.
Her hair was soft and slightly cool, carrying a sweet, fresh scent, and a warm touch came through his clothes.
Xiao Chen's eyelid twitched.
This little girl really did whatever she pleased.
One second, she was full of fighting spirit, plotting how to compete with Gu Yue; the next, she couldn't resist sleep and had fallen asleep against him. Her nature was so pure that she had no guile at all.
Besides, weren't you half of the Silver Dragon King? Couldn't you sense the evil aura in the train?
Feeling the weight on his shoulder, Xiao Chen remained still and quietly softened his breathing.
The carriage grew quieter still. Sunlight spilled through the windows, falling gently on the girl's delicate profile and tracing its soft contours.
That peace lasted only a moment before a cold, pungent, bloody aura tore it to shreds!
Bzzzz-!
A brutal aura suddenly swept through the entire carriage like a tide. The once-warm air instantly turned bone-chillingly cold, sending shivers through everyone.
Xiao Chen's mind abruptly sharpened, every hair on his body standing on end as his dormant soul power surged through him.
This aura belonged to no ordinary soul beast. It was the sinister, bloodthirsty soul power unique to evil soul masters!
The sudden killing intent and violent tremors instantly woke Na'er from her sound sleep on Xiao Chen's shoulder.
The girl jerked her head up, her sleepy eyes filled with bewilderment. Confusion and irritation covered her little face, and her long lashes trembled gently. "Big brother, what happened? What's going on?"
She had finally managed to fall asleep, only to be startled awake just as she entered dreamland. Anger instantly welled up inside her, and her whole demeanor radiated displeasure at being disturbed.
Xiao Chen's gaze was grave, fixed firmly on the connection to the carriage ahead. He lowered his voice, more serious than ever. "There's killing intent, and it's very strong."
At Xiao Chen's warning, she instantly caught the sinister, bloodthirsty aura rushing toward her. The irritation in her eyes immediately faded, replaced by piercing coldness and vigilance.
How dare they disturb her sleep? These people deserved ten thousand deaths!
Crash-!
The tremendous crash of a kicked door suddenly erupted, its piercing vibrations carrying through the entire carriage.
Someone violently kicked open the door at the front of the carriage with brute force, twisting the metal doorframe out of shape with terrifying might.
A burly man with a sinister expression slowly entered the carriage with heavy steps.
The man was tall and powerfully built, with rough, dark skin and twisted, savage features. Scarlet veins filled his eyes, and a wild aura of brutality and bloodlust surrounded him.
He gripped a Soul Tool Gun that radiated a cold, murderous aura, its muzzle sweeping casually over every passenger in the carriage.
A cold, savage roar suddenly rang through the entire carriage, making everyone's eardrums buzz. "Nobody fucking move! Anyone who moves dies on the spot!"
The once-quiet carriage instantly fell deathly silent. Every passenger turned deathly pale, their bodies rigid, not daring to take a full breath. Fear shrouded everyone's heart.
"That cold, bloodthirsty aura-he's definitely an evil soul master!"
Xiao Chen's heart instantly sank, and his mind grew even more grave.
Relying on his wither martial soul's sensitivity to evil auras, he instantly determined that the man was definitely an evil soul master. At the same time, he quickly sized him up, silently probing the fluctuations of his soul power.
Powerful, violent soul power surged in waves, its aura dense and domineering, far beyond that of an ordinary soul master. He was a Five-Ring Soul King!
This man's name was Wang Chen, and his martial soul was the bloodthirsty bear. He was a vicious evil soul master who operated outside Federation law, making his living year after year by hunting living beings and draining blood and soul power. His methods were brutal, and bloodlust was his nature.
Now, Wang Chen's eyes were filled with madness and greed. His scarlet gaze swept over the densely packed passengers as though looking at a flock of lambs awaiting slaughter, and a cruel, twisted smile curled his lips.
"Hahaha! What luck! A whole carriage of living people, with more pure blood essence than I can count!"
He laughed madly, his tone feverish and savage:
"Once I suck all your blood dry, my cultivation will definitely break through again!"
"Then I'll be able to establish a firm foothold, join the Holy Spirit Cult without a hitch, and become truly powerful!"
Listening to his crazed, blunt words, Xiao Chen looked utterly speechless, with nothing but helplessness filling his heart.
He had seen greedy robbers, criminals who took hostages to make demands, and soul masters who committed evil for profit on Federation news.
But this was his first time seeing such a pure evil soul master in person.
This fellow couldn't even be bothered with the simplest hostage-taking, extortion, or threats. His goal was as simple and brutal as could be-kill, suck blood, and break through!
He gave no thought whatsoever to how he would escape after the killing, the Federation's investigation, or the Spirit Pagoda holding him accountable, and cared even less about all the trouble that would follow.
It was as though any price was worth paying as long as he could drain blood and advance his cultivation.
But on second thought, Xiao Chen understood.
Evil soul masters were twisted by nature, mad and obsessive. With their minds corroded by evil martial souls over the years, they had long since lost all reason, leaving nothing but slaughter and brutality in their bones.
Few of these people had clear heads to begin with. They acted madly without considering the consequences, so doing something this outrageous was perfectly normal for them.
What made Xiao Chen wary was not the Five-Ring Soul King before him.
What truly put him on guard was whether this evil soul master was acting alone-or had accomplices lurking aboard the train with him.
If Wang Chen was alone, defeating him would be easy with Xiao Chen and Na'er's strength.
But if he had hidden accomplices, and several evil soul masters joined forces in an ambush, the situation would become dangerously unpredictable.
Until he had investigated those unknown dangers, Xiao Chen did not dare act rashly. He could only suppress the killing intent in his heart, silently rein in his aura, and quietly observe the situation, ready to protect Na'er beside him at any moment.
Though Na'er might not need his protection either.
Before you continue